Last week, I watched my neighbor Mary, who’s 68, teach her 12-year-old granddaughter how to use a rotary phone. The girl spun the dial with fascination, amazed that you had to wait for it to return before dialing the next number. “We couldn’t just text someone if we were running late,” Mary explained. “You either showed up on time or dealt with the consequences.”
Her granddaughter looked puzzled. “But what if you got lost?”
“You asked for directions, looked at street signs, or just figured it out,” Mary shrugged. “We survived somehow.”
That casual “we survived somehow” might be the most revealing phrase of our time. Psychology research suggests that people raised in the 1960s and 1970s developed mental strengths that are becoming increasingly rare in today’s instant-gratification world.
Why the 60s and 70s Generation Built Different Mental Muscles
Growing up in the pre-digital era wasn’t just about different technology—it was about a fundamentally different relationship with discomfort, uncertainty, and problem-solving. The mental strengths 1960s 1970s kids developed came from daily exposure to situations that required patience, creativity, and persistence.
Dr. Sarah Martinez, a developmental psychologist, explains it this way: “Children in the 60s and 70s had to develop what we call ‘cognitive flexibility’ out of necessity. Without Google, GPS, or instant communication, their brains learned to find multiple solutions to problems.”
These kids didn’t just survive—they thrived in an analog world that demanded mental toughness. They waited weeks for photos to be developed, memorized phone numbers, and navigated social conflicts without the safety net of parental intervention via text message.
The Seven Mental Strengths That Made Them Different
Research in developmental psychology has identified seven key mental strengths that people raised in the 1960s and 1970s developed more naturally than subsequent generations:
| Mental Strength | How It Developed | Modern Challenge |
| Distress Tolerance | Dealing with boredom, waiting, uncertainty daily | Instant entertainment and answers reduce practice |
| Independent Problem-Solving | No immediate help available; had to figure things out | Google and tutorials provide instant solutions |
| Face-to-Face Social Skills | All communication happened in person or by phone | Digital communication lacks emotional nuance |
| Delayed Gratification | Everything took time; patience was required | On-demand culture reduces waiting experiences |
| Physical Resilience | More outdoor play, less safety padding | Helicopter parenting limits risk-taking |
| Emotional Regulation | Had to process feelings without constant validation | Social media provides instant feedback loops |
| Resourcefulness | Limited options meant creative solutions | Abundance of choices reduces innovative thinking |
The most striking difference lies in their relationship with discomfort. “These kids learned that uncomfortable feelings don’t require immediate action,” notes Dr. Michael Chen, who studies generational psychology. “They could sit with anxiety, boredom, or frustration because they had to.”
Consider the simple act of getting lost. Before GPS, people had to stay calm, observe their surroundings, ask strangers for help, and piece together solutions. Each “lost” experience was a mini-training session in problem-solving under pressure.
- They developed spatial awareness from reading physical maps
- They learned to assess which strangers seemed safe to approach
- They built confidence from successfully navigating challenges alone
- They practiced staying calm under uncertainty
What We’re Missing in the Digital Age
Today’s world offers incredible advantages, but it’s accidentally eliminating the friction that builds mental muscle. Every inconvenience has been optimized away, leaving fewer opportunities to practice tolerance for discomfort.
“We’ve created a world where kids never have to be truly bored,” explains child psychologist Dr. Lisa Rodriguez. “But boredom was actually a creativity gymnasium. When you can’t immediately entertain yourself, your brain starts making its own entertainment.”
The mental strengths 1960s 1970s kids developed weren’t just about toughness—they were about adaptability. They learned to pivot when plans changed, to entertain themselves with minimal resources, and to solve problems without external validation.
Modern research shows that people who grew up in this era demonstrate:
- Higher tolerance for ambiguous situations
- Better ability to focus without external stimulation
- More creative problem-solving under pressure
- Stronger capacity for delayed gratification
- Greater emotional stability during setbacks
This doesn’t mean the “good old days” were perfect. That generation also faced challenges we’ve rightfully addressed—less awareness of mental health, fewer safety protections, and limited opportunities for many groups. But in solving those problems, we may have overcorrected in ways that limit resilience building.
How These Strengths Show Up Today
Walk into any workplace crisis, and you’ll often notice something interesting. The employees who remain calm and methodically work through problems? Many are from the 60s and 70s generation. They approach obstacles with a quiet confidence that seems almost foreign to younger colleagues who immediately reach for their phones to research solutions.
“I recently watched a 65-year-old manager handle a major system failure,” shares workplace consultant Tom Stevens. “While everyone else was frantically googling solutions, she systematically worked through backup processes they’d forgotten existed. She didn’t panic because her brain was wired to expect and handle disruption.”
These mental strengths manifest in everyday situations too. People from this generation are more likely to:
- Try multiple solutions before asking for help
- Remain engaged in face-to-face conversations without checking devices
- Handle technology failures without immediate frustration
- Make decisions without extensive online research
- Navigate social conflicts through direct communication
The irony is that many of these “old-fashioned” approaches are exactly what modern psychology recommends for mental health. Mindfulness practices teach the distress tolerance they learned naturally. Cognitive behavioral therapy rebuilds the problem-solving skills they developed organically.
But here’s what gives me hope: awareness is the first step toward change. Understanding what we’ve lost helps us figure out how to rebuild these mental strengths intentionally. We don’t need to abandon technology, but we might need to create deliberate friction in our lives—small doses of inconvenience that exercise our psychological muscles.
FAQs
Were people in the 1960s and 1970s actually mentally stronger?
Not necessarily stronger, but they developed different strengths through daily exposure to situations requiring patience, problem-solving, and distress tolerance.
Can younger generations develop these same mental strengths?
Absolutely. These skills can be learned at any age through deliberate practice, though it requires more intentional effort in our convenience-oriented world.
What’s the biggest mental strength difference between generations?
Distress tolerance—the ability to sit with uncomfortable feelings without immediately seeking relief—appears to be the most significant difference.
Are there any advantages to how kids are raised today?
Yes, modern children often have better emotional awareness, more diverse perspectives, and greater access to information and opportunities.
How can parents help kids develop these mental strengths?
By allowing appropriate levels of boredom, problem-solving challenges, and independence while maintaining necessary safety and support.
Is this just nostalgia for the “good old days”?
No, this is based on psychological research showing measurable differences in how different generations handle stress, uncertainty, and problem-solving.